Lollapalooza: Views On Alternative Tour

TEENTIME II

August 19, 1994|By DAVID THOMAS Spanish River Community High School

Lollapalooza '94 may not have been the star-filled concert of previous years, but it was still a truly unique experience.

This year's show contained so many different things to see and do that my head was spinning from the spoken word tent to the second stage and all along the marketplace. But no considerable attention was diverted from the main stage.

Green Day was scheduled to kick off the show, but bassist Mike Dirnt broke his arm during the Woodstock '94 festival, and no one felt like listening to the boring L7 who actually started the Lollapalooza '94.

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds followed with an interesting set that surprised the crowd. A Tribe Called Quest, whose new album Midnight Marauders has received much praise, was actually quite boring, and didn't even hold my interest long enough for the wait in the food line. They were followed by The Breeders, whom I already had seen and knew were not the best band live. Kelly Deal actually forgot one of her own songs during the set. Another surprise was George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. They definitely had funk and lots of it. However, all of these bands could not even come close to the last three hours of the show.

The Beastie Boys took the stage with a ferocious energy that captured the crowd. They started with a medley of tracks that included favorites such as Rhyming and Stealing and new songs like Sure Shot.

Then it was time for the Smashing Pumpkins to close the show. Instead of trying to top the Beastie Boys' performance, Billy Corgan and crew played the set with their own brand of intensity. The set was enhanced by amazing visuals that included a huge screen that broadcast a Bruce Lee film, psychedelic images and scenes from The Wizard of Oz. The Pumpkins really played an amazing set that none of the previous bands came close to - except the Beasties.

Monday night might not have been a day of love and peace, but it did have an attitude. It was a great nine-hour escape from the rest of the world.

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